"One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others." (attributed variously to Robert Heinlein & Archibald Rutledge).

The idea of envy (or, covetousness) is an important subject in the Abrahamic faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The prohibition against covetousness rounds out the Mosaic moral code, codified as the 10th and final commandment in the Ten Commandments -- the injunction against coveting one's neighbor's property. The rationale behind this is the acknowledgement that all blessings arise from God's sovereign providence and it is not for his creation to question whom and how and when he chooses to bless.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines covetousness as :

1. "feeling or showing a very strong desire for something that you do not have and especially for something that belongs to someone else", or
2. "marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessi…

Notes 1. circa 2012 : some
sections of the Tea Party gradually shifted focus to and
became more vocal about populist nationalism -- i.e., militaristic posturing
& economic protectionism. I do not associate myself with these ideas.
However, I continue to retain immense gratitude for the original movement and
its current champions, Ted Cruz, Justin Amash etc., as profoundly influential
in my political maturation.

2. While I am a libertarian, my Patriot and social-conservative ideological
roots are influential in the following manner:
(A) I am still Patriotic to the American idea
(Jefferson, Madison, anti-Hamilton) and the Constitution -- not to the
corrupt crony-capitalist, welfare-warfare-statist federal government that has
co-opted the media and academia, and

(B) I am socially conservative personally, but not politically, esp. in the
areas of drug policy, censorship, non-violent "offenses",
consensual adult relationships, etc. In all these …

Can conservatives and progressives agree on a negotiated platform based on a common commitment to some libertarian ideas? An attempt follows, in which I first identify the common core and then discuss the contentious issues and how we may negotiate toward a compromise.

I. Common Ground -- The Core

On all these issues, left-leaning and right-leaning libertarians have policy proposals that are the same or similar enough and may be palatable to both wings.

Criminal Justice Reformdecriminalize all drugs (including recreational)decriminalize prostitutiondecriminalize gamblingreprieve all prisoners currently in for the above crimesEconomic PolicyNO to Corporatism, Cronyism, Corporate Subsidies, special interest kickbacks, pork, etc. -- the federal budget will not be used to subsidize any particular corporation or industry (aerospace, defense, ethanol, sugar, solar, wind, etc.)no bailouts for banks or corporations -- no more too big to failaudit the Fedreduce bureaucratic bloat -- waste, frau…

There are so many strains of thought and ideology in secular democracies around the world, exemplified, perhaps best, in contemporary American political life. Some of these strains of thought are compatible with others and may even be subsets of others. Many of them are violently opposed to others. In the American context, we see, at least, the following : environmentalismcultural progressivismeconomic socialismprogressive-lite Keynesian welfare + neocon warfare hawks = the establishment / moderates / centristscivil libertarianismnon-interventionismsocial conservatismConstitutional conservatismfree-market libertarianismpopulism, protectionism & nativism, anti-progressivism, anti-establishment
A neat left-right divide no longer makes sense. Most people find themselves on a spectrum between very different political philosophies and emphases.
The two major political parties represent uneasy marriages that exist because for historical reasons or current tactical alliances. The fragil…